LFA's 2024 Parcours de Femmes Selections Revealed
The French association Les Femmes s’Animent’s Franco-African Initiative assists French-speaking women from Africa, Europe, and overseas territories with mentoring and resources to fine-tune project pitches for presentation at the 2024 Annecy Festival’s MIFA.
Movella and HTC VIVE Reveal Native Virtual Production Pipeline Integration
Integration of VIVE Mars CamTrack and Xsens Animate motion-capture technology promises to elevate virtual production by converging precision, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness for a seamless, collaborative workflow and production experience; see it at GDC beginning March 18.
New Adult Swim SMALLS Shorts to Release Each Friday Through 2024
A new animated short will debut each week, beginning with Sanjay Jit’s ‘Gum Remembers’ – watch it here!
Podcast EP 245: Exit 73 Studios Indie Game Dev Journey With '#Blud'
Animation studio co-founders Chris Burns and Bob Fox discuss breaking into the game industry, getting a producer, and the upcoming release of their indie game, coming later this year.
‘X-Men ’97’ Creator Beau DeMayo Fired Ahead of Series Debut
The writer / producer, known for his work on ‘Moon Knight’ and ‘Blade,’ will no longer promote the project or participate on future seasons, according to The Hollywood Reporter; Marvel had no comment on the firing.
Max Nabs 2024 Oscar Winner ‘The Boy and the Heron’ Streaming Rights
Streamer and GKDS ink multiyear deal extending U.S. streaming rights of award-winning Studio Ghibli’s catalog, including Oscar-winning and -nominated films ‘Spirited Away,’ ‘Howl's Moving Castle,’ ‘The Wind Rises,’ ‘The Tale of The Princess Kaguya,’ and ‘When Marnie Was There.’
'Shrek 2’ to Re-Release in Theaters for 20th Anniversary
Revisit the adventures and experience the joy of Shrek, Donkey and Princess Fiona's adventures all over again when the beloved 2004 3DCG animated classic returns nationwide starting April 12.
Scholastic Buys 9 Story Media Group
The USD $186 million agreement significantly expands the publishing company’s opportunities for production and global licensing of its IP across print, screens, and merchandising.
Taiwan Creative Content Agency Showcases 15 Animation, VR Projects at SXSW
Among these productions, ‘Madame Pirate: Code of Conduct’ was selected for the 2024 SXSW XR Competition, while ‘Sister Lin-Tou’ was part of the XR Spotlight section; SXSW runs in Austin, Texas from March 8-16.
Toonz Media Group and Driver Studios Team for ‘The Blahs’ 3D Animated Series
The kids’ comedy series, which follows original characters ‘The Blahs,’ their rulers King Gray and Lord Blue, and their neighbor Joy, launches on the Cool School YouTube channel March 31.
NVIDIA and HP Announce GenAI and Data Science Library Integration
Coming to Z by HP AI Studio, NVIDIA CUDA-X data processing libraries will be integrated with HP AI workstation solutions to provide full-stack development solutions that speed data science workflows.
What’s Cooking U.K.? Biscuit and Grey London Team for PETA Pork Campaign
The promo project includes the hard-hitting film ‘Pig Farm,’ which highlights British pig farming practices and calls for the public to go vegan; gory merchandise such as a calendar measured in pig years will also be available for purchase.
UNESCO to Support WIA’s Stories x Women Program
The first official collaboration between the two groups was announced in connection with International Women’s Day; the UN organization joins Disney as a supporter of the women’s creative initiative with an emphasis on projects from Africa.
Illumination and Nintendo to Produce New ‘Super Mario Bros.’ Movie
Chris Meledandri and Shigeru Miyamoto take to YouTube to share the news - while plot details are still firmly under wraps, the new animated film project doesn’t appear to be a sequel but rather a fresh take on Mario’s world; the release is set for April 3, 2026.
‘The Boy and the Heron,’ ‘Godzilla Minus One’ Take Home Oscar Gold
The two films finish out the 2024 awards season with wins for Best Animated Feature and Best Visual Effects, respectively, on a night that also saw ‘WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko’ win for Best Animated Short Film and ‘Oppenheimer’ take home 7 statues, including Best Picture and Best Cinematography.
Watch: Immersive ‘The Imaginary Friend’ Animation and Development Sneak Peek
In their SXSW in-person XR Spotlight section experiences set for March 9, the Studio Biarritz team, led by VR director Steve Hallema, producer Corine Meijers, and lead designer Koen Koopman, will showcase their latest project about a grieving child struggling to separate reality from fantasy, who creates ‘You’ – his imaginary friend, to fight the monsters in his mind.
Ionart Studio Ltd. Rebrands as Ionart Studios as it Eyes Expansion
Budapest-based full-service animation and VFX company set sights on expanded global identity; LA-based VFX professional Mark Nazal will lead the studio’s North American efforts.
Jack Black and Awkwafina Talk ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’
The award-winning actors behind the film’s eventual dynamic duo of Po and Zhen discuss the appeal of voice acting, their creative process, and what was most challenging in the booth; DreamWorks Animation’s all-new ‘Kung Fu Panda’ adventure hit theaters today, March 8.
Pixar Drops ‘Inside Out 2’ Trailer – New Digs and Unexpected Guests!
It’s the feel good / sad / angry / anxious movie of the summer; Disney / Pixar’s highly anticipated sequel to Pete Docter’s Oscar-winning 2015 ‘Inside Out’ will hit theaters June 14.
‘Dragon Ball’ Creator Akira Toriyama Passes at 68
The internationally beloved artist, who left a permanent mark on the manga and anime industry after a legendary career spanning over 45 years, passed away on March 1 of an acute subdural hematoma.
‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ Leads All Winners at the 2024 British Animation Awards
Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry’s drama of a young boy swept overboard on a family sailing trip, who washes ashore on a remote island, takes home three awards, including Best Feature Film, at the ceremony held today at London’s BFI Southbank.
‘Twilight’ Animated Series in Development at Lionsgate
While the series remake may adapt each of author Stephanie Meyer’s four ‘The Twilight Saga’ novels, it could also take a different approach by adapting the ‘Twilight’ retellings ‘Midnight Sun’ or ‘Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined.’
Javadoodles Goes Full-Time with Plans to Take Over the Internet
From a fun Tumblr side-project posting simple drawings on coffee cups to collaborating on stop-motion shorts and creating a YouTube series with 2D blobs sharing awkward silences and thoughts on life, the artist and animator has taken the big career leap and launched full speed into an expansive slate of projects.
Billy Crystal and John Goodman Return in ‘Monsters at Work’ Season 2 Teaser
Inspired by the popular movie franchise, the series features the ‘Monsters, Inc.’ stars reprising their fan-favorite roles; new season kicks off April 5 with a special 2-episode premiere, coming to Disney+ in May.
Fredrikstad Animation Festival Submissions Are Now Open; Deadline for Short Films Is June 17th, for Features Is August 1st
FAF 2024 will have a NEW International Short Film Competition
